North Carolina State Conference of NAACP Branches v. Lewis

March 12, 2018

Case Background

A number of civil rights organizations in North Carolina and Wake County residents filed a challenge to four state house districts in Wake County drawn in the 2017 remedial redistricting plan as a result of North Carolina v. Covington, arguing that the newly drawn districts violate the state constitution’s prohibition against mid-decade redistricting. The plaintiffs claim that lawmakers went beyond what the federal court directed and altered districts that did not need to be redrawn to remedy the racial gerrymanders.

On February 21, the plaintiffs filed a preliminary injunction to enjoin the defendants from conducting election in the four state house districts and have asked that the districts are returned to their 2011 boundaries for the 2018 elections.

A hearing on the motion for preliminary injunction is scheduled for April 6.